The character Tugboat Annie is based on Thea Foss (1857-1927) who founded the Foss Launch & Tug Co. in Tacoma, Washington in 1889. Today, Foss Maritime owns the largest fleet of tugboats on the U.S. West Coast.
MGM's most profitable film of 1933.
The role of Patricia 'Pat' Severn was initially to be played by Madge Evans. The studio, however, was unsatisfied with her appeal to the audience and replaced her with newcomer Maureen O'Sullivan.
The tugboat used as the "Narcissus" in the film was then named the "Wallowa." It was leased to the filmmakers in Seattle by the Foss Launch & Tug Co. After the movie was filmed, the tugboat was refitted with a new engine and renamed the "Arthur Foss," after Thea Foss's son, who was then president of the Foss Co. Today, the tugboat "Arthur Foss" is owned by the Northwest Seaport Maritime Heritage Center. It is docked on Lake Union in Seattle, next to the Museum of History and Industry, and is open for tours on weekends. The "Arthur Foss" is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The tugboat can also be seen in the MGM short Forbidden Passage (1941), albeit with the picture flipped to help disguise the name on the bow.